A shiver rocked my body, my inner wolf howling in my head. Julian wanted to… By the fates, I couldn’t even think it. I couldn’t move either. Or speak. Who needed words at that point? Julian stood before me, chest heaving, eyes dark and needy as he stared blankly in my direction. And me?

I’d been set on fire by his dirty mouth.

He hadn’t touched me, hadn’t kissed me. Hadn’t done anything but tell me what he wanted to do, and I was soaking wet. Wanting in a way I never had before—so strong, so desperate. But I kept my distance. Held myself still. The tension blanketed us, practically suffocating me, and still, I waited. For what? I had no idea, but Julian waited too. Both of us on edge. Breathing hard and ready.

I cracked though, when the very tip of his pink tongue flashed. A little lick of his bottom lip. Probably not even something he realized he did. But I saw. I felt that tiny flick right over my clit. And I whimpered.

Julian pounced, his arms wrapping around me and his mouth landing on mine. He offered no lead-in, no gentle touches or softness. He’d become the animal I’d always been, his sexual attraction to me an instinct. One he wouldn’t deny.

I tugged his shirt up and over his head, my head falling back as he fastened his lips—and teeth—to my neck. Hands everywhere, he stripped me as well. Both of us rushing, fumbling, backing toward the bed as pants fell and shirts landed across the room. And when we stood naked before each other, bodies pressed so close there was no air between us, I took one moment to make sure he knew how I felt.

“I love you, Julian.”

A smile curved one side of his mouth, and he cupped my cheek gently. Lovingly. “I know, and I love you too, Lee. But I’m still mad, and I can’t be sweet right now.”

I nodded, sinking my teeth into his thumb when he dragged it across my lower lip. With a growl that could have made several grown wolf shifters jealous, Julian picked me up and tossed me on the bed, dragging me to the edge by my ankles before settling on his knees.

“Do you have any idea how panicked I was?” He pushed my knees wide, spreading me before him. Massaging my thighs roughly as he leaned in. “You weren’t where you were supposed to be—no word, no info on where to find you. And me?” He licked a long line along the side of my pussy, teasing me. Making me arch and moan before pulling away again. “I was forced to rely on Scarlett and Shadow to take me to the client so I could figure out what had happened. My very heart had disappeared, and I couldn’t do anything about it.”

“Julian—” I bit my lip as he flicked his tongue against my clit. Each pass rougher, more brutal. Pushing me straight toward my orgasm.

“You want to do this sort of work? You know I’ll support you.” He slipped a finger inside me, and my legs began to shake. In and out, he dragged that digit, adding pressure where I needed it. Where I wanted it. Where I wanted him. “But, next time?”

Another brush of his tongue against my clit, but this time, he didn’t stop. Finger deep in my pussy, he latched on to my clit and sucked. I arched off the bed, practically screaming his name as my orgasm raced through me unexpectedly. But Julian didn’t stop; he kept pumping his hand, adding another finger to drag me through that pleasure. Keeping his mouth on my clit to force it higher. And when I was done, when I had to push his head away because everything had become oversensitive, he still didn’t stop. Kept his fingers buried and his mouth close enough to feel his breath as he picked up right where he’d left off.

“Next time, we go in with full communication. We invest in technology for me to talk to you, to track you, and to always find you. Because if you change the plans again, and go off on some mission without anyone knowing how to save your ass if things go south?” Quicker than I would have expected, he grabbed my hips and flipped me, pulling my ass into the air as he stood behind me. As he buried himself inside me in one thrust. As he owned my pussy. “If you run off again, I’ll still chase you. I’ll always fucking find you. But my anger won’t be as much fun as this time.”

Julian thrust harder, practically pushing me up the bed. Spreading my legs wider and thrusting harder. I grunted with every stroke, clawing at the sheets as I sought purchase. Every muscle tingling, every inch of me ready for another orgasm. For more.

His hand landing in an open-palm smack against my ass was just the more I’d been craving. I came screaming into a pillow, shaking and jerking as lights exploded behind my eyes. Julian kept pumping, kept hitting me in all the right spots, even dropping a hand under me to tweak my clit. That little hit caused another smaller orgasm to roll through me, and I collapsed on the mattress. A sated, swollen mess.

Julian pulled out, his hand fisting his cock, still wet from me. Two strokes, and he came all over my ass and back. Grunting through his release as he kept one hand on my hip. As he held my body in place and dominated me. I’d probably have bruises from how hard he pushed me down, but I liked that idea. Liked it enough to be sad about how fast they’d fade.

“Fuck.” Julian collapsed beside me, pulling me into his arms. I went willingly, curling around him and using his arm as a pillow. “Angry sex is sort of fun.”

I chuckled, my fingers tracing a pattern along his chest. “Are you still mad?”

He grabbed my hand, bringing it to his mouth to kiss my palm. “Furious. But only because I was so scared.” He leaned closer, bringing his mouth to mine for a soft, slow kiss that I felt all the way down to my toes. “I can’t lose you, Leelee. You’re my heart. Without you, even breathing would be impossible.”

“Julian…”

But he didn’t let me finish. Instead, he rolled on top of me and kissed me deeply. Stoking another flame only our bodies coming together could put out. And I was fine with that. We needed the connection, needed to be sure the other was safe. And I needed to finally surrender to what we both wanted, even if I was terrified of it going wrong. So when he broke from the kiss to run his lips along my jaw, I took a deep breath. And I gave him forever with me.

“I want to give you your wolf.”

He froze, muscles stiffening. “Angelita—”

“I want to. To make you a wolf shifter, like me. I want to claim you as my mate in every way.”

He relaxed slightly, running his nose along mine. “What changed your mind?”

“You. This job tonight. Shiloh. I don’t know…but I don’t want to keep pushing this off because I’m afraid things will go wrong. I want you as my equal, and that means giving you this gift.” I rolled him onto his back, straddling his hips. Running my pussy along his already hard cock just to tease. “If that’s still what you want.”

Julian grabbed my hips, holding me tight. “You. I want you. Always. I’ve never wanted or been so sure of anything in my life.”

So I took him inside me, and I rocked. Lifted. Made love to him slowly. Watched as he arched his back and bit his lip, as he gripped me harder, trying to take control of my actions. But I kept my pace, doing everything I could to hide the tears I couldn’t hold back. The fear. If I lost him, I’d die. I knew it, and I think somewhere deep down, he knew it. But it was time for us to take a chance. Together.

I leaned over him, pressing a kiss to his neck before whispering, “You’re my heart, too, you know. And we do this together.”

Hands tight, he thrust up into me. “Always.”

And then, with a growl everyone on the island probably heard, with my wolf side taking over enough to grow fur across my body, I shoved us right into our future together.

With my teeth in his neck for the first of our mating bites.